Lord Hanuman who is seen as an epitome of devotion, faith and selfless love, is perhaps one of the most revered and adored deities in the Hindu scriptures. Also known as Anjaneya and Bajrang Bali, Lord Hanuman is worshipped by many who wish to gain courage, strength and discipline to face the difficulties in their life.

Although most of us have a good enough knowledge about the life and deeds of Lord Hanuman, there are some interesting and amazing facts that we don’t really know about the deity. Check out few unknown legends about lord Hanuman from here.

1. Lord Hanuman Was An Incarnation Of Lord Shiva

When Lord Vishnu decided to incarnate on earth in the form of Rama, Lord Shiva professed his desire to serve him. Shiva’s intention perturbs Sati as she would have to stay apart from her beloved husband. Learning of Sati’s concern, Shiva promised to send only a portion of him to earth so that he could fulfil both the purposes. But the form which Shiva should adopt for his reincarnation became a cause of great distress to both Sati and Shiva.

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Finally after much deliberation, Shiva decided to assume the form of a monkey, as the humble creature can sustain with a simple lifestyle and is free of all bondages of caste and traditions. Thus he took birth in the form of Hanuman, who served Lord Rama with utmost devotion.

2. Pawanputra Hanuman’s Mother Was an Apsara

Hanuman was the son of Anjana and the monkey king Kesari. Anjana was a beautiful Apsara in celestial palace court of Lord Brahma and was apparently self-obsessed and egotistical. In her vanity, once she enraged a sage who in turn cursed the divine beauty that, the moment she fell in love, her face would transform to that of a monkey. Lord Brahma took pity on Anjana and sent her to earth where she was smitten by Kesari. The two then exchanged nuptial vows.

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Being an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, Anjana wished for the Lord to take birth as her son. Thus she continued with her tapasya to please the God. Lord Shiva was impressed and granted her the boon that he will incarnate on this earth as her offspring.

Few days later, King Dasrath of Ayodhya (who had four queens but was still childless) was performing a yagna to please the almighty. As offering to the Lords, kheer, a sweet dish, was prepared and was distributed among the four queens of Dashrath. While Kaushalya, the eldest queen was about to have the kheer, a Kite snatched away a portion of it and flew away. On Shiva’s instruction, Lord Vayu, the God of Wind, placed the sweet offering near Anjana who was engrossed in meditation. She believed the kheer to be a blessing from Lord Shiva and consumed it. Thus Anjana’s son, Anjaneya, came to be known as an incarnation of Shiva and son of Lord Vayu or Pawan Putra Hanuman.

3. Lord Shani Protects Those Who Worship Lord Hanuman

Lord Shani is one angry god and it is really difficult to please him. However, it is said that if you are a disciple of Lord Hanuman, you need not fear Lord Shani. This is because it has been mentioned in Purans that – During Rams’s quest to free Sita from the clutches of Ravana, it was Hanuman who flew across the sea to reach the demons king’s palace and discovered the whereabouts of Sita.

When Ravan became aware of Hanuman’s presence in his palace, he ordered his soldiers to capture and kill the petty monkey. In order to crush Ravan’s ego, Hanuman set about destroying Lanka with his tail that was set ablaze by Ravan’s soldiers. In this commotion he found Lord Shani imprisoned in the palace’s basement, who was cursed by Brahma to remain in captivity till an incarnation of Shiva frees him. Hanuman released him from the confinement. Delighted, Lord Shani helped Hanuman in his pursuit to destroy Lanka and even granted him a boon. It is since then that Lord Shani never creates problems to those who worship Lord Hanuman.

4. Hanuman Once Applied Sindoor All Over His Body For Lord Rama’s Long Life

One day, when Hanuman saw Sita applying Sindoor (Vermillion) in her hair, he asked the reason for the same. Sita replied that it was for long life and well being of Lord Rama, her husband. Hanuman, the biggest devotee of Rama thought if a pinch of sindoor in the hair can increase the longevity of Lord Rama then why not apply on the entire body. He then applied sindoor all over his body for Rama’s long life.

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Impressed by this unmatched devotion of Hanuman, Lord Rama granted a boon that those who worshiped Lord Hanuman in the future with sindoor would see all their difficulties go away. Lord Rama also gave him a vardan (blessings) that whenever the name of devotion takes place, Hanuman’s name will be taken first.

5. Although He Was A Brahmachari, Lord Hanuman Had A Son 

According to Ramcharitmanas, Hanuman’s Son Makar Dhwaja was born to a mighty fish of the same name when Hanuman after burning the entire Lanka with his tail had dipped in the sea to cool off his body. It is said that while he was doing so, a fish swallowed some of the sweat from Hanumans body and thus Makar Dhwaja was conceived. Makardhwaj was equally strong and brave as Lord Hanuman.

The fish was caught by Ravana’s step brother Ahiravana who ruled Patal, the nether world. When Makar Dhwaja grew up, Ahiravana was impressed by his strength and virility. He then made him his soldier.

6. Hanuman Also Created His Version Of Ramayan

When finally peace prevailed in the kingdom and Rama ascended the throne, Hanuman travelled to the Himalayas where he continued to worship the deity. A master of all scriptures, Hanuman carved his version of Ram’s tale on the rocks of the Himalayas with his nails. When Maharshi Valmiki encountered Hanuman, he realised that Hanuman’s version of Ramayana was far more superior to his own.

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Realising Valmiki’s predicament Hanuman renounced his version of the Ramayana leaving Valmiki in awe. The astonished Valmiki said it would be his pleasure to be born again to sing the glory of Hanuman!

7. Women Are Not Allowed To Touch Hanuman’s Feet

There’s a common saying about Lord Hanuman that women can’t worship him as he is a bal Brahmachari. While most people consider this to be a myth, the truth is there are still women in certain sections of our society who are not allowed to worship the Monkey God. While some say that women can worship but should not touch the idol.

8. Hanuman-The Immortal Lord

When Ram decided to leave for the heavenly abode, many including his wife Sita and Lakshman followed him. But his most ardent devotee vowed that he would stay on this earth for as long as the name of Rama is chanted by its inhabitants. Hanuman is one among the 7 Chiranjivis or immortals, according to the Hindu traditions, who will live until the beginning of the next Satya Yuga

He is believed to be alive even today keeping a close watch on every human being.

9. Lord Hanuman In Mahabharata

Arjuna was a skilled archer and was capable of conjuring wonders with his arrows. During the Mahabharata war, he requested Lord Hanuman to be present on his chariot to which Hanuman asked him to prove his mettle. Arjuna then claimed that he could reconstruct the bridge that Rama’s army had built to cross the ocean. Intrigued by his claims, Hanuman challenged him to create a bridge that would be able to withstand his weight. He promised that if Arjuna succeeded in the task, Hanuman would accompany him on his chariot. An eager Arjuna created the bridge in a jiffy but it collapsed even faster as soon as Hanuman set foot on it. A crestfallen Arjuna approached Lord Krishna who convinced Hanuman that Arjuna should be given another chance. With Krishna’s blessing Arjuna built the bridge again, and this time it did not crumble under Hanuman’s weight. Hanuman then realised the fact that Krishna was an incarnation of his revered Lord Vishnu and was overwhelmed. He agreed to aid Arjuna in his battles with the Kauravas and thus Arjuna’s chariot featured Hanuman on its flag.

A crestfallen Arjuna approached Lord Krishna who convinced Hanuman that Arjuna should be given another chance. With Krishna’s blessing Arjuna built the bridge again, and this time, it did not crumble under Hanuman’s weight. Hanuman then realised the fact that Krishna was an incarnation of his revered Lord Vishnu and was overwhelmed. He agreed to aid Arjuna in his battles with the Kauravas and thus Arjuna’s chariot featured Hanuman on its flag.

After the battle of Kurukshetra, Krishna asked Arjuna to step down the chariot. Krishna thanked Hanuman to stay with them during the war in the form of a flag on the chariot. Hanuman came in his original form, bowed to Krishna and flew away. As soon as he left, the chariot turned into ashes. Krishna explained to a shocked Arjuna, that the chariot would have burnt long time back due to the effects of celestial weapons thrown at it during the war. However, Lord Hanuman protected it.

10. Hanuman And Bhagwad Gita

According to legend, Hanuman is one of the four people to have heard the Bhagwad Gita from Krishna and seen the Vishvarupa form, the other three being Arjuna, Sanjaya and Barbarika – son of Ghatotkacha. The Narada Purana describes Hanuman as a master of vocal music, and as an embodiment of the combined power of Shiva and Vishnu.

11. Hanuman’s Avatars

A number of religious leaders have claimed to have seen Hanuman over the course of the centuries, notably Madhvacharya (13th century CE), Tulsidas (16th century), Samarth Ramdas (17th century), Raghavendra Swami (17th century) and Swami Ramdas (20th century).